Day 255 – French Paperwork

It had been midnight when we parked on the pavement outside of our Chantilly maison. There was a light drizzle as we hurried to knock on the door and gain access to our warm and well feathered beds. The first knock returned no response; Helene must have been asleep already. Over the next ten minutes our repeated knocks became firmer and louder; pebbles were tossed at windows and we began to curse the fact that our Egyptian sim-card had finally run out of credit.

With few options left and just short of pitching our tent for one last road side ‘bush camp’ I targeted the open first floor window and the inviting ivy trail that led to it. Half way up, convincing myself that I wouldn’t die and that for all intents and purposes a man should be able to perform such tasks at a moment’s notice, I heard Laura exclaim a surprised “Hello, you must be Helene?” That was how we met my new employer, in the dark and drizzly night, with me clinging to an Ivy branch that was gradually releasing its grip on the wall some ten feet in the air.

We had some French registration paperwork to get on with during the morning but with that over and done with we declined an invite to the French Derby and opted instead for drinks at a nearby Chateau followed by dinner in a local restaurant with Helene and her partner. We had booked the Euro Tunnel for the following day.